Hygiene monitoring and management system and method
A Real Time Locating System (RTLS) hygiene management and monitoring system for individuals and companies to manage and monitor the hygiene of their surroundings. In some embodiments of the invention, RTLS is used to monitor and manage cleanliness of rooms and surfaces and the location of cleaning supplies and cleaning personnel. The invention provides improved efficiency and quality of hygiene services. For instance, the invention can enable prioritization of cleaning, improve efficient use of cleaning supplies and cleaning personnel, track short and long term cleaning operations, and provide insight into ineffective cleaning.
1. A hygiene monitoring and management system comprising:
a cleanliness monitoring system configured to manage cleaning of an area of a facility with a cleaning device based on one or more of i) a type of the area, ii) a level of dirtiness in the area, and iii) a location of the area relative to at least one of a location of cleaning personnel, a location of cleaning product, or a location of the cleaning device; and
a locating module configured to determine a location of the cleaning device in the area and to track movement of the cleaning device within the area;
a management module configured to receive data regarding the tracked movement of the cleaning device and to generate a graphical representation of a cleanliness level of at least a portion of the area based at least in part on the tracked movement.
2. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , wherein the locating module determines the location of a wireless tag associated with the cleaning device based at least in part on strength of signals transmitted between the wireless tag and at least two access points.
3. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , wherein the locating module is positioned on the cleaning device.
4. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , wherein the graphical representation of the cleanliness level includes different colors corresponding to cleanliness levels of the area.
5. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , further comprising a display on which the graphical representation is displayed, wherein the display is positioned on the cleaning device.
6. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning monitoring system is configured to manage cleaning of the area via control of movement of the cleaning device in the area.
7. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , wherein the management module automatically changes dispense of one or more chemicals in the area based at least in part on the location of the cleaning device.
8. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , wherein the management module generates a notification to a user of a cleaning action to take when the cleaning device reaches a predetermined location in the area.
9. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 1 , wherein the area comprises a floor surface.
10. A method of hygiene monitoring and management, the method comprising:
managing cleaning of an area of a facility based on one or more of i) a type of the area, ii) a level of dirtiness in the area, and iii) a location of the area relative to at least one of a location of cleaning personnel, a location of cleaning product, or a location of a cleaning device; and
determining a location of the cleaning device in the area with a locating module;
tracking movement of the cleaning device within the area;
receiving data regarding the tracked movement of the cleaning device;
generating a graphical representation of a cleanliness level of at least a portion of the area based at least in part on the tracked movement.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the location of the cleaning device includes determining a location of a wireless tag associated with the cleaning device based at least in part on strength of signals transmitted between the wireless tag and at least two access points.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating the graphical representation includes depicting cleanliness levels of the area using different colors.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein managing cleaning of the area includes controlling movement of the cleaning device in the area.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein managing cleaning of the area includes selecting a closest available cleaning device relative to the location of the area.
15. The method of claim 10 , automatically changing dispense of one or more chemicals in the area based at least in part on the location of the cleaning device.
16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating a notification to a user of a cleaning action to take when the cleaning device reaches a predetermined location in the area.
17. A hygiene monitoring and management system comprising:
a locating module configured to determine a location of a cleaning device in an area of a facility and to track movement of the cleaning device within the area; and
a display module disposed on the cleaning device and including a graphical layout of the area, the display module configured to provide to an operator of the cleaning device information relating to cleanliness of the area based on the tracked movement of the cleaning device, the information including where to move the mobile cleaning device for a cleaning operation within the area based on the tracked movement of the cleaning device.
18. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 17 , wherein the locating module determines the location of the cleaning device based at least in part on strength of signals transmitted between the cleaning device and at least two access points.
19. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 17 , further comprising a cleanliness monitoring system configured to manage cleaning of the area based on one or more of a type of the area and a level of dirtiness in the area.
20. The hygiene monitoring and management system of claim 19 , further comprising a management module configured to receive data including the location of the cleaning device and the tracked movement of the cleaning device, wherein the data is transmitted to the display module, and wherein the management module automatically changes dispense of one or more chemicals in the area where the cleaning device is moved based at least in part on the location of the cleaning device.